1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a newspaper collator and feeder for delivering newspaper or component sections thereof into a loader path for collation of the components into a finished newspaper. More particularly, it is concerned with an improved metering hopper which provides enhanced separation resistance and is adaptable for use with narrower printed media.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most newspapers delivered in medium and large cities are bulky and comprised of several sections, each folded midway between their top and bottom margins and nested together. Sunday editions in particular are especially large and bulky, and include inserts such as advertising sections and feature sections which may be slick and thus difficult to handle. Moreover, Sunday newspapers in particular may include a number of sections which are printed well in advance and then assembled with those sections such as news and sports which are printed soon before delivery. In order to assemble the newspaper of multiple different sections at different times for large circulation volumes, automated hoppers are necessary to collate the different sections and combine them into a final newspaper product ready for timely delivery.
One problem associated with feeding the newspaper sections is the friction between the bottommost section in the hopper and the section immediately above it. The friction between adjacent newsprint sections is greater than tabloid inserts printed on slicker paper with ink which causes a sliding effect when positioned between the folded newsprint. Thus, there has been a tendency of the bottommost section in the hopper to have its fold roll back and upwardly as the bottom portion of the jacket or outer page moves forward during feeding. This problem can produce misfeeds in the hopper.
A variety of different sheet feeding hoppers have been used in connection with inserting and feeding newspaper sections. One such device is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,701 which issued Oct. 2, 1973. In that device, a driven gear and a gripper both oscillated back and forth and alternately permitted either freewheeling or driving of a gripping roller to engage a stiff sheet. However, the feeder of that mechanism failed to provide satisfactory inhibition to separation of the newspapers in the stack.
Another approach is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,472 and 4,702,467, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In the disclosure of those two patents, the lowermost section is advanced over a feeder device 18 to provide a ridge in the newspaper section to inhibit separation. The feeder device moves in an inclined generally oval path to successively feed the bottommost newspaper by engaging it with a pair of spaced-apart rubberized pads. In my later U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,421, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the separating and feeding member 194 is provided with a single rubberized pad 194a which engages the bottommost newspaper. In each of the foregoing devices, the weight of the superposed newspapers above the bottommost newspaper causes the formation of a ridge which extends longitudinally and helps to lock the newspaper section together prior to feeding, thereby resisting the tendency of the jacket or outermost pages of the bottommost newspaper to roll as its upper page surface frictionally engages the newspaper thereabove.
However, despite the improvements in the art made by these devices, occasional problems still arise. One such problem is the need for a more pronounced ridge in the bottom newspaper section just prior to feeding. As newspaper sections become either thicker or narrower due to the use of narrower newsprint pages (e.g. 12 inches instead of 16 inches), an improved ridge is most beneficial in inhibiting the rolling effect described above. When a relatively wide pad is used with a narrow newprint page, there may be difficulty in achieving a ridge sufficient to lock the section together.
Another problem occasionally encountered with the use of the relatively wide pads in the prior art devices is that the pad engages the bottommost newspaper during the upward and rearward movement of the pad. The resulting frictional engagement between the pad and the newspaper section may cause some slight yet significant movement of the bottommost newspaper relative to the newspapers positioned thereon in the stack in the feeder. When this occurs, the second bottommost newspaper section in the stack, with its fold facing forwardly, may slightly overlap and have its fold move in front of the bottommost newspaper section's forwardly facing fold. When this occurs, the forward movement of the pad causes not only the bottommost newspaper section to move forward and feed into the nip rollers of the feeder, but also the newspaper section thereabove, resulting in a double feed.
When these circumstances occur in a high speed newspaper assembling operation, numerous newspapers may be improperly assembled or the machine may jam, resulting in significant delays even though an operator is in immediate attendance. With approaching delivery deadlines and only short periods for assembly, even small delays may be critical.
There has thus developed a need for an improved feeder device for use in connection with machines which collate and assemble articles such as thin paper products and bulky newspaper sections which can automatically handle and reliably feed the articles with a minimum of downtime.
More particularly, there has developed a need for a feeder which substantially eliminates the rolling effect and double feed problems described above.